Classification of Organisms by Maicel

Classification of Organisms

            The classification of organisms started with Linnaeus, who broke it into two different categories: plantae and animalia. Later on the kingdoms were further broken down into five separate kingdoms: monera, protista, fungi, plantae, and animalia. Then the kingdom monera was broken into eubacteria and archaebacteria. To further separate and categorize organisms the kingdoms were placed into three different domains: bacteria, archaea, and eukarya. Within the bacteria domain is the eubacteria. Within the archaea domain are the archaebacteria. Within the eukarya domain are the protista, fungi, plantae, and animalia.

            The classification of organisms or taxonomy, may not seem all that interesting, but for those of us with OCD and like having things in order, classify organisms can be an interesting adventure. Back in Linnaeus’s time organisms were being classified with a polynomial system. Long story short Linnaeus created a shortcut, the binomial system. Names within the polynomial system were around 12 words long, even more at times. On the other hand names within the binomial system only involved two words. To further understand the classification of organisms you have to understand how the kingdoms are further broken down so that we can get to the binomial nomenclature.

            The six kingdoms are further broken down to a phylum. The phylum is broken down to a class. Class to the order, order to the family, family to genus, and finally genus to the species. The binomial system names are the genus of the species then the species name. Honestly I love classifying organisms because it’s like keeping things all neat. The system is still rough around the edges in some of the kingdoms but it’s better than naming species with 12 different Latin words none of us understand.

           

Here is the classification of a Bengal tiger.

Do you think that the binomial system is a good way to identify different organisms?

How would you go about classifying a appaloosa horse or a black bear? 

Viruses by Caitlin

Mankind has fought battles with viruses for centuries. They are so small that they have to be measured in nanometers, which is nearly a thousand times smaller than what we use to measure bacteria with (micrometers). There are many different ways that a virus can enter the body. They can do it through ingestion, inhalation, and direct contact. Viruses are essentially RNA or DNA encased in a coat of protein. They come in a variety of shapes, but they all have a head with RNA or DNA enclosed in it, and a tail which is used to attach to a cell’s receptors.

  

Once a virus attaches itself to a cell, it either goes through the lytic cycle or the lysogenic cycle. In the lytic cycle, the virus injects its DNA or RNA into the host cell, and begins taking over the cell’s metabolic activities. Since the virus has control over the cell, it is able to replicate itself fairly quickly. The many replicates of the virus burst open the host cell and then go on to infect more cells. In the lysogenic cycle, the virus integrates its genetic material into the host cell’s genetic material instead of destroying it. Each time the host cell reproduces, so does the virus. Viruses that undergo the lysogenic cycle can stay dormant for years at a time.

Thankfully, scientists have created vaccines against some of the viruses. Vaccines can help protect us from becoming fatally infected with a virus. How different do you think our society would be now if scientists hadn’t invented the vaccine?

Three Interesting Facts:

1.    It is believed that there are 1 million different types of viruses here on Earth.

2.    It is widely debated whether or not if viruses are nonliving or living.

3.    The first recorded viral infection dates back to 3700 B.C.

Viruses by Lydia

Viruses are little infectious agents that only recreate inside other living things. They can infect everything that lives. It has a nucleic acid molecule surrounded in a protein coat.

The thing that is the most interesting is that they are considered to be non-living yet they are able to kill and harm such powerful living things like us, human beings. ("Viruses.") I also think it’s very fascinating that they are practically made up of nothing but they are so powerful. They are able to pretty much take over a host cell. For example viruses seem like they aren’t any big deal but so many people die every year because of viruses. They can start out being no big deal, then turning into something terrible.

Questions For the Class

1)      What do you think is cool about viruses?

2)     Do you think viruses are living or nonliving?

3)     What is your questions on viruses?

Three Interesting Facts

1)      Viruses cannot turn food into energy on their own.

2)     They have genes and they can reproduce.

3)     Virus comes from the Latin word for “poison” or “slimy liquid.

Zika virus

Viruses! The biology students are exploring the crazy world of viruses this week. First up, we are looking at the Zika virus, and the implications of the emerging epidemic. If your student or you are curious about Zika, here is an interactive  Q&A put together by the NY Times for you to look at:

Zika Virus Q&A

Later this week, students will be honing their debate skills with the topic Viruses: Living or Not?

Last year this debate was pretty passionate, so ask your student to give you a run down on their evidence.

I'll leave you with a photo  from the past:

Join the debate.....by Parker

Lately in Physical Science we have been talking about the Nature of Matter. The three different types of matter are solids, liquids, and gases. Solids are rigid, have a fixed shape and a fixed volume. Liquids aren’t rigid, have no fixed shape and have a fixed volume. Gases aren’t rigid, and have no fixed shape or volume. There are two things matter can be, and that's pure, or impure. Matter is impure if it can be separated by physical means, it if can’t be separated by physical means then it is pure. Impure matter can be broken down even farther by deciding if it’s homogeneous, or heterogeneous. Pure can be broken down into whether it’s an element or a compound. Solids also have strong interactions, while liquids have medium interactions, and gases have no interactions. Atoms in all matter follow the Kinetic Theory. The Kinetic Theory is saying everything is made of atoms, atoms are always moving, and colliding.

One thing that I found really interesting is when Ms. Raino was discussing how she disagrees that cats are liquids.* I loved how she pointed out how they are gases cause they have no exact shape/volume and that they are squashable. It honestly really made me use metacognition to see where she was getting at.

Interesting facts

1.  Despite what the internet says cats are indeed gases.

2.  Just even a slight change in temperature can change the alterations in a volume of gas.

3. In laboratories scientists can create different plasmas making six different types of matter.

The question I will leave you with is are cats liquids or gases? What do you think? Join the debate.

*Ms. Raino was referring (in jest) to the internet meme shown above. In reality, cats have a mixture of solids, liquids, and gases making up their bodies, just like other animals.

Plant, Animal, and Fungi Classification by Wrenlie

Why do Fungi, Plants, and Animals have different Classifications? Each classification is meant for dividing into groups. Groups for the classifications can go off of plant characteristics and how they might be related to others.

Ericaceae is a plant family which has Huckleberries, Blueberries, and Cranberries. Those plants are related on how they live in acidic soil and have woody stems and is also called the “Health Family”. Animals can go into groups of Amphibians, Reptiles, Fish, Mammals, and Bird, which turns into another group called subfamilies. Mammals have a family called Artiodactyla, which is sheep, goats, cattle, deer, elk, antelope, pigs, and continues on. Fungi can go into groups like plants, such as Agaricus bisporus, which is the common mushrooms.

Most of animals can be characterized by having these priorities: Mobility, Aerobic, Tissue specialization, complex Eukaryotic cells, sexual reproduction, and Land, air, and sea habitat. What interested me the most about classification was all the names and what families are closely related.

Three Facts:

1.       Throughout the world there are around 602 known plant species and more plants are still being discovered.

2.       In the 18th century a man named Carl Linnaeus published a book on a system of classifying living things.

3.       Classification is also known as Taxonomy.

Questions?:

1.       Why do scientists keep track of all the families?

2.      How long have scientists classified animals, plants, and fungi into families?

3.      Why do animals, plants, and fungi need to be classified?

Evolution by Mikayla

Evolution is change over time, it is also known survival of the fittest. The five fingers of evolution is something to help explain how it works. The pinky is small population, ring finger is selective mating, the middle finger is mutation, and the thumb is for adaptation. Small population is talking about how there is not many animals to mate with so they have to deal with what they have. Selective mating is when they only mate with the animals that survive the best, that way they start to have different outcomes of animals and they change to survive in the habitat that they live in. The middle finger is mutation and that stands for issue that happen when mating with the only people you can get. The last finger, the thumb, stands for adaptation. This shows how animals tend to change to survive with the habitat they have. How do you feel about evolution? Do you think that it should not be related to religion? I find this very interesting because many people think that it is insulting to religion or even to science. This year I learned that it really is not and that they are totally different things. Some things that I have found interesting about evolution is that years ago things could walk but now they have no legs and swim. I also find it very interesting that whales still have a pelvic bone floating around inside their body. That has not yet evolved to where they do not have it. The thing I find most interesting is how animals can use selective mating to change what they were to how they are now.

    

The evolution of a whale

Molecular Geometry by Nat

What is molecular geometry?

Molecular geometry is the where there is a three dimensional representation for atoms. We use the VSEPR model to determine shape and behavior of electron pair in the atoms. While we do use the Lewis Dot Model to help us, we can also determine shape through various methods of X-rays.

These examples show 3d and 2d models. In the Lewis Dot Structure we can see single, double, triple bonds and even lone pairs. Lone pairs are electrons that repel each other to form an angle. The amount of electrons can determine the shape of bonded atoms.

Question to leave with you… What uses does molecular geometry prove to you?

Three facts

a. Pairs of electrons that are most often involved in forming bonds and making molecules are called bonding pairs.

b. The VSEPR model is used to predict the typical geometry.

c.  The outside electrons are called valence electrons which forms bonds with valence electrons.

Environmental science turns to journalism

The environmental science class is a multidisciplinary dual credit class through BSU. Recently, students looked at the water situation in  Flint, Michigan, and tried their hand at a journalism career.

Here are their headlines:

"Flint, Michigan Water Crisis - Lazy or Just Plain Stupid?"

"Water You Doin', Flint?"

"Flint Switching to Poison?" 

"H₂-Oh No! : The Problem Facing Flint, Michigan"

"Inaction led to a catastrophe in Flint, Michigan"


Which one would you click on in a google news search?

Evolution by Spencer

What is evolution? Evolution is a process in which animals slowly change over time to suit their environment.

Natural selection is when traits are passed down, not by choice, but survival. Animals with more desirable traits, tend to be the ones that survive. To reproduce, you have to be alive. An example of natural selection is a giraffe. The giraffes with longer necks were able to eat more leaves, because they were higher up. The giraffes with shorter necks, were unable to reproduce, because they didn’t have as much food to eat. The giraffes with longer necks were able to survive and reproduce. The offspring with longer necks were more likely to breed, unlike the ones with shorter necks. Over time giraffes with longer necks became the majority, causing most giraffes with shorter necks to die out.

* See teachers note

Mutation is when there is a change in DNA. When a mutation occurs the outcome can be good, bad, or neither. An example of mutation is the ice fish. Over time it slowly started to get rid of its red blood cells. This made the blood thinner, and took less effort to circulate in the body. The fish also produced its own type of antifreeze. It lived in waters that were -1.8 degrees celsius. It’s  body mutated to live not have, and to live without red bloods cells.

Here is a picture a its blood compared to a normal fish.

            Gene flow is the exchanging of genes between a population. During the early 1800’s there were only 20 elephant seals left in the world. We have tried to bring back their population. Today there are 30,000 elephant seals. All elephant seals are closely related, because there were only 20 elephant seals left, and who knows how many were female or male. This is a lack of gene flow, and kind of the opposite of evolution.

*Teachers note: The picture chosen actually show's Lamarck's theory of change, which was later disproved. Organisms cannot wish into existence a trait they need. Instead, there is variation in traits in a given population, and those with traits more suited to the environmental conditions are more likely to survive and reproduce. Spencer explains this in his post, but the picture might be a bit confusing.